Attorney general: Governor can pick judges for now

6:36 AM,
Oct. 10, 2013

Attorney General Robert Cooper

Written by

Chas Sisk
| The Tennessean

Gov. Bill Haslam can appoint judges to the bench despite the expiration this summer of the Judicial Nominating Commission, the attorney general said in an opinion released Wednesday.

Attorney General Robert Cooper said that letting the governor fill vacancies that arise when judges die or step down in the middle of their terms would be in the public interest. Lawyers for the state also said statements made by legislators in 2009 indicated they did not want the commission's termination to thwart appointments.

Earlier this year, the state legislature adjourned for the year without ...